Program Manager, Partnerships and Corporate Engagement

Deadline to apply is June 5, 2025.  

Salary: $65,000-$85,000 annually. Salary is dependent on experience and qualifications.

Position Summary         

Corporations, associations, and organizations that serve higher education and support the mission and goals of EDUCAUSE can engage with EDUCAUSE in various ways. Some of the corporations that support EDUCAUSE are Corporate Members, and some Corporate Members participate in the EDUCAUSE Corporate Engagement Program as Partners or Supporters. EDUCAUSE also maintains relationships with various other associations that serve particular higher education constituents and interests, and from time to time EDUCAUSE works with these associations on resources or events that serve relevant communities.

EDUCAUSE Partnerships and Corporate Engagement provides meaningful opportunities for institutional members to discover new products and services and connect with these organizations. EDUCAUSE Partnerships and Corporate Engagement programs are designed to incorporate these organizations into the fabric of the EDUCAUSE community so that higher education leaders can work together to influence the evolution of the higher education technology market to better serve institutions and learners.  

The Program Manager, Partnerships and Corporate Engagement is responsible for coordinating and supporting overall delivery and service quality for these programs. The Program Manager manages the logistics for the Partnerships and Corporate Engagement programs, including event planning and support, committee coordination and facilitation, publication coordination, and other program operations. The Program Manager works to maximize third-party engagement in all program areas and within the EDUCAUSE community. The Program Manager develops and maintains a high level of understanding of the higher education technology landscape, higher education’s current challenges in adopting technology, and industry’s current challenges in engaging with the higher education market.   

The Program Manager works internally, across the organization to understand the EDUCAUSE program portfolio and best practices for successful program delivery. The Program Manager works with external customers, partners, and stakeholders to develop effective programming. This position requires a highly professional approach, a deep curiosity to understand all elements of the association’s broad value proposition and customer needs, and a dedication to excellent performance in everyday work. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibilities 

• None 

Association Service and Support

• Represent EDUCAUSE in a professional manner at all times; engage with co-workers in a civil, caring, respectful way; and advance the mission and vision of EDUCAUSE
• Participate in EDUCAUSE events and activities as needed. 
• Duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Program Design and Development

• Serve as the primary point of coordination and communication for partnerships and corporate engagement program development and delivery among stakeholders across EDUCAUSE. 
• Work closely with advisory committees, department leaders, and project leads to understand and outline requirements for program design and development.
• Develop and manage strategies, support structures, and processes to ensure effective implementation of program areas.
• Research and analyze best practices for program delivery on a regular basis and as needed to continually improve and integrate new strategies for program delivery.
• Establish, implement, and monitor program KPIs/metrics and provide insights to stakeholders.
• Establish and achieve community engagement goals for each program.
• Suggest and evaluate recommendations to enhance existing programs and services; establish service quality and improvement goals
• Investigate program vulnerabilities and recommend solutions.
• Build relationships and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to ensure that goals, issues, concerns and priorities are surfaced, understood and addressed.

Community Engagement

• Schedule, plan, and support advisory group meetings, community group meetings, and working group meetings, ensuring forward progress on their program-related efforts.
• Maintain an active network of member experts who could be candidates to serve on advisory committees or for other volunteer opportunities.
• Communicate with community members and other stakeholders to gain community support for partnerships and corporate engagement programs and solicit input to improve the programs.
• Maintain an understanding of the technology needs of the higher education community to identify opportunities for partnerships and corporate engagement in EDUCAUSE Community Groups.
• Attend EDUCAUSE Community Group Leaders meetings to serve as the liaison between the partnerships and corporate community and the higher education community. 
• Represent/promote Partnerships and Corporate Engagement programs via online and in-person events, including but not limited to: webinars, Annual Conference programming and marketing efforts, YouTube and podcast series, and other select events.

Event Development and Management

• Assist with planning for the content and delivery of annual events and serve as a subject matter expert for the event, primarily the Annual Partner Summit, the virtual post-Summit event, and additional partner summits.
• Assist with logistics for inviting event participants, securing speakers and facilitators, ensuring participants are registered appropriately, and other logistical support as needed.
• Assist with planning for Partner and sponsored sessions at the Annual Conference.
• Assist with development and planning for webinars, working with community members to plan and develop non-sponsored content, and acting as program liaison to EDUCAUSE virtual events team.

Product Design and Development

• Assist with the development of new products that can be offered to the partnerships and corporate community.
• Assist with planning for and creating program materials, working with community members to produce non-sponsored resources such as blogs, checklists, toolkits, and other materials that support better industry/higher education working relationships.
• Act as liaison between the programs and EDUCAUSE operations staff for the development and publication of program materials.
• Work to proactively identify emerging trends and challenges that the partnerships and corporate engagement program should address, and to build corresponding resources and services.

Operations

• Maintain program documentation with committee information and meeting notes
• Be responsive and professional when interacting with members; build credibility for products and services as a whole
• Ensure that program activities operate within the policies and procedures of the organization
• Ensure quality and customer-service standards; resolve problems to establish excellent credibility with participants in the programs managed and with leaders in the higher education IT community

Qualifications

Education and Experience 

• Bachelor’s degree in communication, business, management, or related field OR the equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of eight years program management required.
• Knowledge of higher education landscape, particularly educational technology principles and trends preferred.
• Conference and events experience preferred.
• Experience working in the higher education community is highly preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; must be able to communicate proactively, effectively, and tactfully in a way that demonstrates responsiveness and transparency.
• Exceptional professional group facilitation and presentation skills.
• Sufficient analytical and problem-solving skills to synthesize feedback data, analyze key metrics, and offer suggestions for addressing issues.
• Ability to develop and sustain collaborative relationships.
• Exercise independent judgment and work successfully without close supervision; be self-directed; prioritize tasks; work well independently and as a team member; know when to include others.
• Manage multiple commitments to multiple individuals without dropping tasks or losing composure.
• Ability to respond in a flexible manner to changing needs and priorities; adapt to change
• Ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues in a distributed organization; maintain collegiality.
• Ability to maintain an awareness of multiple workstreams and products and identify relevant points of intersection.
• Detail orientation with good organizational, time and project management skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, presentation software, and other traditional productivity software required.
• Sound judgment, and good intuition.
• Effective and diplomatic interpersonal skills.
• Preferred: Working knowledge of netFORUM, CRM, or similar database.

Physical Requirements

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. 
• Physical demands of travel such as sitting for long periods, handling luggage, time zone changes, and adjusting to new environments.

Remote Work Requirements

• Scheduled working hours either in the employees time zone or EDUCAUSE core working hours or core working hours to be determined with the supervisor. 
• Be available and responsive during scheduled work hours. 
• Any time off or change in working hours must be pre-arranged according to department guidelines and consistent with the rules applicable to employment (e.g., vacation, sick, personal, leave of absence). 

Travel Requirements: 

• 10%

EEO Statement

EDUCAUSE is committed to an inclusive workplace and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. EDUCAUSE provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

EDUCAUSE recognizes that the unique backgrounds, talents, skills, and contributions of every individual improve and enhance the quality of the association. Creating an environment of inclusion is an EDUCAUSE organizational goal, which includes, but is not limited to:

• Treating everyone with dignity, respect, and fairness
• Providing insights and input as a work contributor
• Listening to and acknowledging others' contributions
• Contributing to an open and welcoming environment across demographic categories and physical locations
• Meeting others at their point of need to advance organizational achievement